One Utah

U.S. and Iraqi forces are in the midst of “Operation Phantom Phoenix,”* a wide-scale offensive aimed at eliminating pockets of insurgents (which the military invariably refers to as “al-Qaeda”) north and south of Baghdad. The operation involves thousands of troops, including seven battalions of US Army and Marines.

A new tactic is in play this time, the massive use of airpower, including F-16s and B-1 bombers, to clear roads of deep-buried IEDs and attack booby-trapped houses and other targets of opportunity. Yesterday the most intense single air strike of the war was launched, in a thunderous 10-minute onslaught on Arab Jabour, a Baghdad suburb.

About 90,000 pounds of explosives has been dropped in parts of six provinces across central Iraq in the first 10 days of January.

This is Pentagon footage of some of the air attacks.

From the L.A. Times:

A spokesman for an Awakening Council — a volunteer security force — in the south Baghdad district of Dora said Thursday that civilians had been trapped in the Arab Jabour region by the heavy military activity in recent days.

Alaa Ithawi, the spokesman, said the Americans had told Arab Jabour residents to move 10 days earlier, but not all had done so. He acknowledged that extremists operated in the area, but said the bombings risked alienating more people.

“People are admitting there are gunmen, but to have civilians as targets is a crime against humanity,” Ithawi said.

* Military trivia: The US Army’s Third Corps headquarters is running this operation. Since World War II, they have been nicknamed the “Phantom Corps”– hence the name “Operation Phantom Phoenix.”

UPDATE: Less than two weeks ago, we were told Arab Jabour was a success story of the so-called “surge.” Now, not so much.

UPDATE: US Air Force B-1 bombers and Marine and Navy F-18 fighter-bombers dropped 35 more bombs (total 19,000 lbs) on Arab Jabour on Sunday, January 20.

This entry was posted Friday, January 11th, 2008 at 9:18 am and is filed under Disaster, Iraq, War. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.